Notes from Positive Aging Group Meeting on October 30th 2019

Here are the notes from our meeting on Wednesday. 

1. Our PAG Website

I reminded people that all the links, slides and notes from previous meetings can be found at our website: http://positive-aging.net. I'd appreciate any feedback on the website with ideas for additional information you would find helpful to include there.

2. Steve's talk on "What's New"

Here is a link to Steve's "What's New" slides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lVhegNpz3f99P1H_VoNdf6IZ6CVcA94v/view?usp=sharing

If you are interested in any of the links to the subjects he discussed, here they are:

Canine pals could be key to longevity

•cosmosmagazine/.com/society/canine-pals-could-be-the-secret-to-longevity

The Red Meat Controversy

•sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-red-meat-controversy

•https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/10/meat-wars/599728

Excessive brain activity linked to a shorter life

•www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/10/16/excessive-brain-activity-linked-shorter-life

The hard truth about back pain

•www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/22/back-pain-drugs-scans-fixes-treatment-lancet

A New Theory of Obesity

•Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Kevin D. Hall et al. in Cell Metabolism, Vol. 30, No. 1, pages 67–77 and e1–e3; July 2, 2019. Article uploaded here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IBHq9us6BPGhGR9sQZOh_sM1rrYTsWxP/view?usp=sharing

3.  My talk on Chronic "Inflammation"

My slides are here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jl6I1dKH4OJ425Sv8-TuLqB-gmLz_HuK/view?usp=sharing

The link to the short video I showed is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3zpVT14PxQ

Here is a link to the long article on "Chronic Inflammation" on which I based my slides - a lot more detail here if you're interested: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C3rKrh4dhLVH1xec2CQIc9EBIsDpiet_/view?usp=sharing

Here is the link to the Auto Immune Protocol (very restricted) diet I mentioned for people who think they may be suffering from CI< but for whom the usual restricted diet doesn't work: www.healthline.com/health/aip-diet

4. Next meeting

We will meet in November on Wednesday 27th at 9.30am at the Legend Hotel.

Notes from Positive Aging Group Meeting held on 25th Sep 2019

Here are the notes and links from our meeting (I have used full links to facilitate cross-posting on the web):

1. What's New

Steve's slides on "What's New": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V4cGIyhs7jWyhZbUxs31mMHNC8END5ex/view?usp=sharing

2. Air Pollution and Demntia

Steve's slides on "Air pollution and dementia": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uMvvqJubRK9kDPhXyFJowqHiMkDhEaUL/view?usp=sharing

3. Muscle loss/Sarcopenia

Paul's slides on "Muscle loss as we age (sarcopenia)": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mLV_SISTKb06gbzYRU2BeYEh8eLNf9vg/view?usp=sharing

The link to Fred Bartlit's talk on sarcopenia (on which Paul's talk was based): https://grandroundsinurology.com/reversing-sarcopenia-and-living-a-full-active-long-life/

The link to the Home Bodyweight exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvhHhDNjtxM

My cheat-sheet listing the exercises: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ByJlhQc8M9ndgjUyLtTXMemZ6sNrPxj3/view?usp=sharing

4. Gadgets and Aging

Jim's slides on "Gadgets and Aging": https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SknuAtMkiP4XNobuPFicKPGG93Opl7Ri/view?usp=sharing

Peter Hartmann's email listing his use of gadgets:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TuoNMtVKPGYzYmHd1aqQ1TPGJAhJ7IHL/view?usp=sharing

5. Jan's suggestions about using exercise regimes designed for people with limited mobility

"This is the link to the aerobics (seated) video, the most 'safe' one I have come across for those with spinal damage. Or who can't do knee stressing exercises. You can modify to use 1kg dumbells to add the strengthening element, if it is safe for the individual to do so.

The music is awful, but you can just turn down the volume: https://youtu.be/-Bu6YZlt60k"

"This is another one for those who don't cervical spinal problems, but who just have restrictions in movement or pain below waist level: https://youtu.be/tywMKg1vPMo"

These notes and links will be uploaded on our website, along with all the notes and links from all our past meetings.   

Our next meeting will be held at 9.30am on Wed Oct 30th at the Legend.

Notes from meeting of the Positive Aging Group meeting Mon 26th August 2019

Here are some notes and copies of the slides:

1. Steve's slides on "What's New and Meditation" are ​here:. 

One of the items related to links between air pollution and Alzheimers Disease, and he will try to include some reminders about how to deal with pollution at our next meeting. For anyone interested in the study of Mexican dogs living in polluted areas, I've uploaded it​ here:.

2. Jan's slides on hearing and aging are ​here. 

The app I demonstrated to measure noise levels on a smartphone is "SoundPrint"​​. 

Android/Google Play version is ​here.

iPhone/Apple Store version is here.

I noted that Steve offered to give details of a recommended audiologist to anyone who is interested. 

Patricia mentioned the condition of "Misophonia", when loud noise can cause anger. ​A​n article​ on the subject is here.

3. My slides on "Fasting Mimicking Diets" (FMD) are ​here.

More on FMD:

- lots of delicious recipes for the Fasting Mimicking Diet for anyone who wants to try it out: http://agingadvice.org/FMD-Recipes.html

- the link to my five day avocado diet (another version of FMD): http://www.nilsosmar.com/fasting-and-autophagy/fasting-mimicking-diets-an-fmd-for-folks-who-cant-eat-nuts-or-wheat/

I will be happy to give a copy of the Valter Longo book I mentioned to anyone who wants to read more - let me know if you use Kindle or iPad. 

B. Other promised items

Here are the other items I promised to circulate:

- Ann mentioned the "Auto Immune Protocol" for people suffering from conditions that may be caused partly by inflammation. ​A​n article that describes the diet and the background to it​ can be found here.

It has been researched with small groups, and shows initial promise. More information on research​ here.

C. Next meeting

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday 25th September at 9.30am in the Legend. 

People also expressed interest in Euthanasia in Thailand. I ​have uploaded ​ a note from a Thai friend whose mother recently passed away​ here.

At my request, she met with Glen Cottrell, an occasional member of PAG to discuss this issue with Thai doctors. My friend's husband is a Thai lawyer. If people are interested in learning more , we can see if a doctor is willing to come and talk to us. Do note that Thai lawyers are coming to talk to us on October 5th, so you can ask questions about "Living Wills" then. 

Notes of Meeting of Positive Aging Group held 21st Jun 2019

We talked about the need for a sense of "purpose" in life (see below). I saw this quotation this
afternoon, which I though was rather applicable to this theme:

“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
- Confucius

Here are some notes and links from the meeting:

1. Paul - What's New

Here are my slides in PDF format. The links are here:

Enbrel, Two Hour Dose of Nature, Mouse blood enzyme keeps mice youthful, 

Estrogen supplement may keep AD at bay

If you are interested in the Estrogen story, here is a very informative podcast with the authors of the 

new book I mentioned. The book link is here. 

2. Jan - Heat and Humidity

Jan's slides are here in PDF format. 

3. Paul - Finding your Sense of "Purpose"

My slides are here. The form I distributed for answering questions about your sense of purpose is here. 

Here are the notes I gave out for reference. 

For anyone who's interested, here are the original 10 questions to help develop a sense of purpose - 

I was persuaded this would be too onerous a task for you all do to at the meeting.....

Our next meeting will take place on Monday 26th August. 

Note of Positive Aging Group Meeting held on 7th Jun 2019

At our meeting held on Jun 7th, we covered the following topics:

1. Steve spoke on "Sleep". His slides are here, with links to more information on this subject. Here are Matt Walker's 12 hints for better sleep. (His book cover is also attached in case you want to get his book.)

There is a series of podcasts where he goes into a lot of detail about sleep: Part 1 is here, with links to parts 2 and 3 for those who are really interested. 

2. Jan reminded us about the Exhibition of paintings by the MaeYing Chiang Rai Artists' Group at ArtBridge on Sat 29 June at 6pm. More information can be found by scrolling down this page. 

3. Jim spoke on Vitamin D. His slides are here - excuse the slight truncation. 

4. Paul (me) continued his series on how to make friends. Slides here. 

The short questionnaire I invited the audience to complete (based on the group's responses from the last talk) is attached. Those who could not attend might like to try completing it, and inviting a friend or spouse to rate them to see the gaps in perception (and areas for improvement).  

Some hints to help with conversation/meeting people are here. 

Our next meeting will be on Monday 24th June at 9.30am. We will circulate an agenda before the meeting. 

Note of Positive Aging Group Meeting held on Apr 17th at 9.30am at the Legend Hotel

Hi All

We had a very good turnout of 19 people, considering we met on the last official day of Songkran. Here are the notes of the meeting and links to the presentations:

1. Steve's presentation on "What's New"

Slides here.

Links to the material:

Gastropod: Can diet stop Alzheimer's?: https://gastropod.com/can-diet-stop-alzheimers/ 

Link between sugar and Alzheimer's: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/01/the-startling-link-between-sugar-and-alzheimers/551528/

Fibre, the Superfood: https://www.vox.com/2019/3/20/18214505/fiber-diet-weight-loss

Aerobic exercise: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/well/move/is-aerobic-exercise-the-key-to-successful-aging.html

Physical activity and brain pathologies: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19OUmL7VFCNbqTxohvzjuFSeBVd46Ruw-/view?usp=sharing

Leisure-time physical activity: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2727269

2. Jim's presentation on "Continuing Adult Education"

Jim's PDF materials here. 

We asked people at the meeting for ideas about subjects in which they could offer courses:

Katharina: Making Mandalas, Alternative medicine, Art therapy

Glenn Stein: database programming

Agnes: food and fermentation (kombucha, sauerkraut, probiotics)

Paul: getting the most out of your technology (iPhones, computers, etc)

Other ideas which came up (not strictly continuing education):

Bruce Kennedy: is interested in proposing online courses (Massive Open Online Courses) which he intends to follow in the hope that others will also do so and form small groups to discuss the course materials. We offered to circulate any material he wishes to share with the group or CREC members.

Jim and Bruce Collard are interested in strategy/word games (Dungeons and Dragon, Scrabble, etc) and Glenn Stein is interested in backgammon. We invited any of them to submit a list of games, which we can include in an online survey to test for others who may be interested.

Jacques told us that the Naga Hills Resort (where he is working/living) has facilities for courses as well as a kitchen for cookery, etc. I believe Katharina and Jacques are going to discuss a possible event including some of Katharina's materials. We have offered to circulate anything they wish to offer to people, as well as the same online survey facility to fine-tune the activities to be offered, dates, prices, etc.

I mentioned Meetup.com, an app which allows people to post and locate events. At the moment, there visually no events shown for Chiang Rai, but you can see the Chiang Mai listing here, to give you an idea of the potential. 

The people from Phayap Uni who organize the Life Long Learning program in Chiang Mai are said to be coming to Chiang Rai in June. Jim may try to connect with them to see what they might offer us, so we can test interest among our group. 

We told Jim that we can send round an online survey if he wishes to test any specific course for interest, as well as inviting people to select their preferred courses from a longer list. 

Jim and Bruce Kennedy offered to pursue these various ideas and talk to Phayap about potential collaboration. (The Phayap people are supposed to be coming here at the end of June.)

3. Jan Whitehall on "The Aging Skin"

Jan (a former nurse in the UK) gave a presentation on different skin conditions and how to spot them. Her presentation (warning: some gory pics) is here, with some links to the materials she used. 

Here is a link to the 2 page document she handed out at the end of the presentation. It shows the conditions which you and your partner should look out for when monitoring your skin (she recommends monthly, taking photos of suspicious conditions to monitor changes). WE SUGGEST YOU PRINT THIS OUT, PUT IT IN A PLASTIC FOLDER AND PIN TO YOUR BATHROOM WALL AS A REMINDER!

Jan's recommended specialist is Dr. Weatin Suwansingh, who works at Sriburin in the Aesthetics Dept. The hospital number is 0-5391-0999. You can contact the hospital here.

4. My presentation on meeting people and making friends

Because of lack of time, we decided to postpone my talk until next time. I have uploaded my slides here if anyone wants to read them in advance.

5. Next meeting

We will meet on Monday 27th May at 9.30am at the Legend. 

 

Links and materials from Positive Aging Group meeting March 10, 2019

I am sending a note of what we discussed so that those who could not attend can keep up with our thoughts and discussions. 

1. Next meeting date

We discussed our next meeting date, and agreed to meet on Wednesday Apr 17th at 9.30pm (this is the day after Songkran finishes). I will send round an agenda closer to the date. Please put this date in your diary if you are going to be in Chiang Rai then.

2. Future topics and speakers

We invited suggestions for future topics and volunteer speakers:

- Jan volunteered to develop some mini-talks on the effects of aging on different parts of the anatomy (such as bones).

- Jantima asked if we could develop a talk on Vitamin D, supplements, sunshine and other related issues (see link to a recent article on Vitamin D and sunscreen)

We mentioned that we would like to organize a session around preparing an Action Plan for Aging (as described in Agronin's book), but would like to make sure we do this during a month when most members will attend.

3. Volunteers to discuss future topics and plan meetings

We invited names to join Steve and me in planning the group's direction. Bruce and Jan volunteered, and others would be welcome.

4. Making friends and increasing your social life in Chiang Rai

I presented some slides (link here) about how loneliness and social engagement can have a dramatic impact on longevity, what we can do about increasing social engagement in Chiang Rai, and how to make new friends.  We also had two group discussions about increasing community activity in Chiang Rai and what qualities we all prefer when making new friends. Summaries of the whiteboard results of the community activity suggestions are here, and those relating to the characteristics of good friends are here.

Also mentioned was the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People", summarized here. 

I showed a short video indicating some good and bad ways to build friendships. The link is here. 

Because we had to cut short the discussions on both group topics, we will probably return to these at a future meeting to try to conclude them and turn some of your suggestions into actions.

5. Fasting

Steve presented an overview of fasting - why and how it works, and different models. Some people in the audience shared their experience of different variations on the theme. The link for Steve's slides is here.

6. Jan's presentation on "Skin"

Because we had over-run the earlier presentations, we decided to postpone Jan's presentation to April.